SEOUL - South Korean pop sensation Psy's "Gangnam Style" became YouTube's most-watched video of all time yesterday, registering more than 803 million views to overtake "Baby" by Canadian heartthrob Justin Bieber. The 34-year-old rapper has rocketed to fame since his "Gangnam Style" video, in which he performs his now famous horse-riding dance, became a worldwide hit after its release in July. Psy will be at the Mnet Asian Music Awards at the Convention and Exhibition Centre in Wan Chai on Friday, November 30. AFP

Aquino rejects call to give up smoking

MANILA - Philippine President Benigno Aquino will not quit smoking despite the country's top medical body publicly appealing for him to lead by example and kick the habit, his spokesman said. The Philippine Medical Association urged Aquino to give up after noticing his frequent coughing, spokesman Edwin Lacierda told government radio. But Lacierda said Aquino's cough - first noticed during official visits to Australia and New Zealand late last month - was not related to smoking and was in fact caused by an allergy to pollen. AFP

Magnitude 4.9 quake jolts Japanese capital

TOKYO - An earthquake with a preliminary magnitude of 4.9 jolted Tokyo and nearby areas, but no tsunami warning was issued, the Japan Meteorological Agency said. Some trains were temporarily halted but returned to normal service later, public broadcaster NHK said. There were no immediate reports of damage. The depth of the tremor was 80 kilometres in Chiba prefecture, east of Tokyo, the agency said. Reuters

7 killed in blast near Shiite Muslim parade

PESHAWAR - A bomb killed seven people near a Shiite Muslim procession in northwest Pakistan, despite a security crackdown - the latest attack on Shiites during their holy month of Muharram. Four boys were among the dead and 30 other people were injured when the bomb exploded on the outskirts of Dera Ismail Khan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province. The attack on Shiites, a minority in Sunni-dominated Pakistan, came as they marched to mourn Prophet Mohammed's grandson Imam Hussain during Muharram which culminates today in Ashura, the group's holiest day of the year. AFP